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Oncidium alexandrae
Curled Oncidium is an epiphytic orchid from Colombian cloud forests, prized for its crimped white or pale rose flowers, but notoriously hard to grow. It needs cool nights, high humidity, good air movement and bright shade, and it struggles in hot conditions.
Oncidium alexandrae, synonyms including Odontoglossum crispum, is an epiphytic orchid in the genus Oncidium. Known as the curled odontoglossum, it is considered by many to be the most beautiful orchid of all but is also one of the most difficult to grow.
Oncidium alexandrae thrives in cool, well watered, humid conditions, with medium to heavy shade. The plants grow best in a cool marine climate, such as the California fog belt or the Pacific Northwest. Elsewhere, high daytime temperatures enfeeble and destroy it, unless air-conditioning is available.
The species has been regularly used in hybridization, as it promotes flowers of good size and shape.
Oncidium alexandrae is found in the montane forest of Colombia, at altitudes of between 1,800 metres (6,000 ft) and 3,000 metres (10,000 ft), including in the eastern Cordillera in the departments of Cundinamarca and Boyacá and in the Andes of southern Colombia in the departments of Cauca, Putumayato and Nariño.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Oncidium alexandrae by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
